International Cat Speculators Since 2006

Posts tagged ‘Harmeet Sooden’

The Press Council finds that the opinions expressed in the Martin Devlin column were fair comment based on what was publicly known about Mr Sooden’s activities before and after his captivity in Baghdad.

On contested issues of fact – the complainant’s country of birth, his expressed gratitude to the governments that worked for his release, and whether he was invited to Palestine last year – the Council finds the errors, if they were errors, forgivable. It was widely reported that Mr Sooden was a Canadian at the time of his capture and that he was applying for New Zealand citizenship (since granted). If he expressed gratitude for his rescue the sentiment was overwhelmed in reports of a press conference in which he criticised the Iraq occupation and believed the risk he posed to his rescuers was no worse than any they faced by being in Iraq.

Saying “I’m grateful” doesn’t stack up if you then attack your rescuers.

The information in his complaint is not sufficient to allow the Council to rule on whether or not he was invited to Palestine. The Council notes that Mr Sooden is guarded in offering any information to support his complaints. For example, he objects to the word “rescue”, saying, “A bona fide rescue is just one of many possibilities of what might have constituted a release scenario. There is currently no evidence available in the public domain that supports this or any other eventuality.”

But this isn’t about what’s in the “public domain”. One would assume it’s about the facts, and Sooden’s reluctance to provide his own is suspicious at best.

Mr Sooden may have good reason for saying very little, then or since, about what he and his companions were doing when they were captured, what happened to them over the months they were held and how they were released. But if he makes it his mission to go into conflict zones and put himself in harm’s way he must expect critical comment.

Translation: if you’re an idiot, don’t be surprised if you get called one.

If he considers press coverage to be “a valuable resource in the struggle to promote human rights”, as he said of Sunday News, he will need to be more candid about his activities. He will not find newspapers content with interviews by email and cannot expect that his attitudes and conduct will be always described in the terms he appeared to be trying to prescribe with this complaint.

Harmeet Sooden – known for being kept in confinement in Iraq for a while a few years back, continues his life of comedy. This time in Israel.

“They never disclosed the official reason for denying me, the Ministry of Interior official told me that I was a threat to the security of the state of Israel.

“It dredged up some old feelings. I told them honestly that I had come to revisit Yad Vashem, visit historic sites and volunteer for ISM.”

Gee, that’s like saying “They never told me why I had to wear a coat, they only told me it was raining.” and
“I told them honestly I knew it was raining and I was volunteering to get utterly soaked.”

Also pure comedy gold is this:

A statement from the organisation says Mr Sooden was detained behind bars for four days, offered no legal representation and subjected to physical violence, including being dragged on to a plane, before he was deported on Wednesday.

Again, that’s like saying the police were brutal because you were arrested even though you resisted.

And finally, we have this perler.

Yesterday an International Solidarity Movement spokesman said the group had been excited about Mr Sooden’s arrival – his first return to the Middle East since the 2005 abduction. “People have a huge amount of respect for him here.”

Hm, I wonder if those people were the ones that captured him and killed one of his friends, or the other side who he’s opposed to, but rescued him anyway only to have him spit in their face?

About this Blog

This Blog is the long time home of a blogger known across the internet as ScrubOne (That's Scrub One not Scru Bone). Where this handle has not been available, he is known as ScrubOneHD (HD for Half Done).

Other bloggers have occasionally been contributors.

ScrubOne confesses to the Christian faith, and conservative politics but does not necessarily blog according to public perception of either.

You can email us tips, comments not intended for publication, offers of money for policy changes, volunteer to join in the fun etc: "scrubone" at google mail (gmail.com)